Lets Get Down With The Sickness

Posted on Tue Apr 9th, 2024 @ 4:12pm by Lieutenant Darru & Commander William Gerhard & Lieutenant Avira zh'Kenarh M.D. & Staff Sergeant Nathanial "Nate" Cusack

Mission: Contagion
Location: Luminari Starbase
Timeline: Day 366 Late
2227 words - 4.5 OF Standard Post Measure

The Luminari’s reaction to the request to see some of the sick had been interesting to the Vulcan but it was nothing to seeing the unknown aliens realisation that he was deadly serious. The science officer wanted to see the sick in greater detail to be relay it all back to the ship to get better scanners involved. He wanted answers and this was the only way to get it.

“Are you sure?” Veelar asked again looking at the small group that seemed intent on getting to the bottom of everything.

"You requested our aid, didn't you?" Avira was getting more and more suspicious of what exactly they were getting at.

“I just…” Veelar wheezed a little as he tried to think on the best way to phrase things. “I am unsure if it will be too much for you.” It sounded like a really poor excuse to the Vulcan but he supposed to them they all looked small and feeble.

The Andorian's antennae curled a bit at the evasiveness. "Do you want our help with this medical situation or would you rather that we leave you to wither away at the hands of this pathogen?"

Darru looked looked at the Andorian almost impressed for a moment before turning back to Veelar waiting. The alien nodded and started off down the corridor faster without a word. “Impressive Doctor.” The Vulcan stated as he took several strides to keep up with the Luminari.

The antennae of the doctor twitched again at the compliment from the resident Vulcan scientist. She wasn't quite sure what he was impressed with, other than her voicing her annoyance. At least they were moving in the right direction again. It was starting to feel like they'd been stalling and keeping them away from certain places. The moving walls, the evasive answers. It was clear that the paranoid marine that was with their party had been on to something. She allowed herself to drop back a bit, knowing that Nate, who was taking up the rear, would automatically slow down as well. "Keep your eyes open, especially in direction they don't want you to look." She spoke in hushed tones.

"Way ahead of you, Lieutenant." Since starting his internship, Nate had been more or less persistent in referring to the Andorian as 'Doc', a dubious honorific that he'd never been quite sure Avira appreciated. The lack of that implied familiarity now spoke volumes, though it wasn't difficult to read the simmering agitation in the marine's posture. He'd relented under Diaz's insistence and kept his more sarcastic comments to himself but he had yet to stow his weapon and, whilst not engaged in active cover, had taken to casually flipping the hand-phaser and catching it as a means of pointing out he was armed. On his hip, attached to his belt, he surreptitiously indicated the scanning device he'd set to continual sweeps.

Darru said nothing as he glanced ahead again at the Luminari and stepped up to him. He was not going to miss a moment of seeing what was going on or the reaction to people seeing them. It would give him a lot more information to work with to fix whatever the situation was that might affect them.

He was surprised when Veelar stopped at a doorway that he would have missed and pushed it open revealing what could only be classed to the scientist as a hospital cavern. He glanced back at Avira to see if she had seen anything like it before with row on row of Luminari lying dormant in cots. “They are not dead but they are not living.” The administrator explained as he watched several of them thrashing about before filling silent as Luminari glad in white walked around trying to do what they could.

William had followed along with the group following Avira's lead. He did find it suspicious that the Luminari were not very forthcoming with their information. While he was already suspicious given his Armory training, their time lost had only heightened his suspicions when coming across new species. They had been burned before too many times that they could not afford to let their guard down. Upon entering the long room. William looked around at the numerous forms as they laid scattered about in cots. There were too many bodies to count, but he picked up on Veelar's words. He glanced over at Avira to see her reaction to the news.

Avira's antennae said more than the rest of her stoic expression. They curled forward and tightened up. The sense of unease and mistrust wasn't going to be disappearing any time soon. She took her medical scanner and started to run a scan on the nearest stricken Luminari. "There's very little brain activity. But I wouldn't say they're clinically dead yet." Which seemed rather out of the norm since the Luminari still walking about actually registered a higher than expected activity compared to Vulcans, Andorians or Humans. She started to map some of the nerve clusters to see if she could determine whether it was affecting their reflexes and other automatic biological responses. All except two extreme cases were breathing unassisted, which seemed to indicate it was slowly progressing and taking mental capacity away. "What was your role as part of this group?" She asked the Luminari that had showed them to this sickbay.

“I used to be a teacher.” The Luminari explained. “But now we are all helping where we can.” She added moving to check the people who were breathing with assistance.

Darru stayed quiet with his scanned in tow as he walked back and forth down the aisle. He raised an eyebrow.

"Who were you teaching?"

The voice from the back, never the best at knowing its place, carried with a lazy sense of provocation. Arms folded across his chest, Nate was casually trailing his eye over the stricken as if searching for something in particular. "Or maybe it's a mater of what." A hand emerged to swing its index finger back and forth in vague reference. "Are any of these juveniles?"

“There used to be.” The Lumanari commented as she glowed a grey colour. “They were the first to go. They were not strong enough.”

"How many numbers did you have before this....sickness...struck," William asked as he surveyed the scene before him. Given the station's size and coupled with this number of people in the room. The Luminari had obviously been hit hard by this tradgedy. But from his simple observations, the pathogen seemed to be slow-acting. Yet it was obvious the casualty number had to be high.

“50’000.” Veelar commented as he came over to where the group were scanning. Darru glanced around and did quick maths in his head. The numbers still did not make sense but it was starting to make things more understandable through the confusion.

Avira looked around the room and quickly added the people that they'd seen earlier. That was just a fraction of their total population. "How many are left?" The question, unlike her previous ones, wasn't confrontational in tone.

Veelar said nothing for a moment before he finally spoke up. There was no use in lying to them or anyone. “10’00 give or take a few 100.” He said simply as the grey tinged glowed from him again. If Darru could sum it up as an emotion it was sadness but the Vulcan could not be sure at all but he filed it away to ask his companions who had more experience in emotions later.

"Pretty big numbers, your morgue must be overflowing." What Cusack lacked in sympathy he more than made up for in scepticism. As much as it seemed more and more likely that the Luminari had suffered devastating losses, there was something about their situation that still didn't sit right.

William hid his surprise from his features as he looked around the room again. The fact that nearly 80% of the population had succumbed showed that whatever this was was exceptionally lethal. His concern for his team was growing before he looked over to Avira again. "Doctor, what do you need from me? I can see about getting you supplies from the ship," William offered knowing that the only support he'd be able to offer would be logistical.

Avira looked over at Darru, "We need to set up a lab. We need to find the pathogen that's causing this." She turned to Willam, "We basically need our entire science lab, perhaps there's something already available on the ship but it would be good to get neutral equipment that we know how it was calibrated. And we need to keep a close eye on all of us here, so we'll need personal medical monitors." She wasn't a fan of continuous monitoring of people's health, as it usually meant you made a big fuss out of things showing up on the monitors which turned out to be indigestion or other discomforts that came from being in the high stress situations they were in. But as it stood now she needed all the info she could get on the pathology of this mystery disease. She then turned to the Luminari Veelar, "Give me all the files and scans you have on your patients. The ones still alive and those that already succumbed. We need to create a timeline of symptoms." Again she turned to William, "A whiteboard, something to write on, markers to write on it with." She pointed at the corner of the bay, "let's set up our diagnostic unit there. We need to keep tracking everything we can and put on the board all the relevant, and repeating, developments."

"Diaz and McManus are overdue," Cusack interjected, risking cutting off the Commander's response to insert his own agenda. Sending them off without proper escort had gone down as his first official objection and it was hardly surprising that the marine-cum-medic was taking the opportunity to point out the lack of wisdom in listening to him the first time. "One of us should go find them, and get Karalo here while we're at it."

William glanced over at Cusack as he had spoken up. There was the tiniest flash of anger at his interruption, but his point was well made. Against his better judgment, he had sent Diaz and McManus back to the shuttle pod after receiving his marching orders from the captain without an escort. The Luminari had assured him that the structure would not be changing now that they were present, but given the circumstances he should've sent them with an escort. This whole situation was starting to turn into more than what his team could handle. It was time to consolidate the group rather than leaving them spaced out.

Darru nodded having already thought on where and what they needed. “Do you have any scientific equipment?”

“I do… I do not think that it would be any use to you.” Veelar commented.

“I can decide that.” Darru stated quickly not allowing the alien to argue anymore. “Staff Sergeant you can assist in searching for the equipment and our missing engineer and communication officer at the same time. You two can reconnect with our pilot and find somewhere we can rest.” Darru was not one to rest often but he knew that it would soon be getting to rest hours for the humans and it would be unfair to make it hard for them.

"Take Rothchild and Gonzalez and see if you can find Diaz and McManus, but I don't want to leave the shuttle pod alone," William said before he looked over at Darru and Avira, "I'll contact the ship to get your supplies sent over through the matter transporters. In the meantime, we need to consolidate our own personnel rather than having them spaced out all over this station. I'll post two additional MACOs here with you to act as security while I ask our hosts if there is a closer docking port to relocate the shuttle pod to act as our fallback point. Once everyone is located, we need to restrict our moments to between here, the command center, and the shuttle pod." William spoke this last bit softer so that Veelar would not overhear. He knew it was a risk, but he didn't want some desperate Luminari making off with their only means of returning to the ship.

For once, Cusack's silence was deafening enough that it probably counted as approval. Either that or, having been given the all-clear to perform a sweep, his only interest was in making himself scarce before the Commander changed his mind. With a jerk of his head to the two marines, Nate moved towards the exit, his final glance falling on a Luminari as he passed. He wondered if they knew how to interpret raised eyebrows.

"Veelar, is there another docking point closer to the command center where we can reposition our shuttle? It would help facilitate our movements in assisting you," William said as he looked towards the tall Luminari.

Veelar nodded and indicated the console to his left where he showed a chart of the base and showed them where they were and where the docking position was to enable them to assist them. “If that is all I need to get on and check through my people.”